


Maria

by TeekiJane



Series: The Boys of Summer [16]
Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 10:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeekiJane/pseuds/TeekiJane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tiff worries about the consequences of her actions. Meanwhile, Maria develops a hopeless crush…while watching Doctor Who.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Maria

_I’ve seen this thing before_  
_In my best friend and the boy next door_  
_Fool for love and fool of fire_  
Blondie, Maria  
Maria  
Thank heaven for carpools. Without them, I’d never go anywhere in the summer.

It was a Thursday in July, and I’d seen my mother for fifteen minutes since Sunday. My dad—well, if I’m lucky, I hear from him a couple times a month and see him much less often than that. And my sisters? Sometimes, I forget they even live here. But Shannon had promised to be home in time to give me a ride for the one thing I had really been looking forward to all summer. 

She sounded really guilty when she called me and said she wouldn’t make it in time to pick me up. She promised to make it up to me, which I’m sure means bribe me back into her affections later. That’s what Mother always does. 

I had been suggesting and suggesting a special event for teens to the public library for two straight years. They’d finally taken my suggestion and it was tonight. And I didn’t have a ride. 

I would have had no problem taking my bike down there, but the event was supposed to last until long after dark, and the headlight on my bike was out. I’d called a couple friends, hoping someone else was planning to go. Everyone was either off at camp or on vacation. It looked like I was stuck. 

I was just about start a really solid pity party—put a depressing movie in the DVD player and sob for a while—when I realized that Tiffany was home. She’s always been oddly quiet. I can tell when Shannon is home, because she plays music and sings along. Mom is always on her phone in the public areas of the house. But Tiff can pretty much sneak up behind you because she’s so silent. Sure, I can get her talking if I try. But she seems to think that she’s boring me when she talks, and I sometimes feel like she’s not really listening when I talk. Especially these days. 

I found her in her room. She had a pair of sewing shears and she was trimming up her bangs. “My hair’s been growing crazy fast,” she noted as I entered the room. 

I plopped down on her bed, taking care not to sit on the piles of clothes that were scattered everywhere. It seemed as if every item from her closet was set on her bed. “Having trouble deciding what to wear?” I asked. 

Tiffany gave one final snip with the scissors and put them down. “Ugh. I must be bloated because none of my shorts fit today.” She turned around and faced me for the first time since I came in. “Your hips are a little wider than mine. Do you think you have something that would go with this top?” 

I ignored the slam on my body shape—I’m an athlete and she’s a bag of bones—and considered the question. The top she was wearing was a pale yellow and low cut. To be honest, it kind of washed her out. With her fair skin and blonde hair, there was no contrast, no pop of color. I knew that telling her that would start a fight and be the end of any actual conversation we might have, though. “I have a pair of navy board shorts that might work.” 

Tiff considered that as she plucked her eyebrows. “Sounds like that might be okay. Adam’s surprising me with what we’re doing tonight, but he said to dress casually.” 

My spirits sank. I was really hoping that she would be driving, because then maybe she’d be willing to drop me off at the library on her way. I didn’t feel like I knew Adam well enough to try to bum a ride out of _him_. I sighed and Tiff looked up from her makeup job, giving me a questioning look. I took a different direction than I had planned. “What’s it like having a boyfriend?” I asked as she rolled her eyes up to the sky and lined them. 

“Hmm,” Tiffany smeared the eyeliner with her fingers. “It’s great if you’ve got a good one.” 

“And I’m guessing Adam is one of the good ones?” 

She just nodded before she started applying mascara. “What are you asking me for, anyway? You’re not a little girl. Why don’t you just go out and get a boyfriend of your own?” 

That was a good question. “I don’t know,” I said as I joined her at the mirror, looking at the differences in our looks. Tiff is light and I’m dark. She’s skinny, and while I’m not fat, my muscles make me seem quite a bit sturdier. She’s got a couple inches on me, too. “Boys don’t really go for me. I’m not sure why.” 

Tiff tipped her head to one side and eyed me sideways. “I bet you intimidate them,” she said. “You have a strong personality. That’s not a bad thing, but it can scare guys sometimes.” 

That’s true. I laughed a little bit. “Or maybe the guys I hang out with are just wusses.” 

Tiffany hopped up onto her vanity, inspecting her chin. She smeared concealer on a non-existent blemish. “Nerds and game geeks,” she said with an almost imperceptible smile, “I’ve never understood why you always hang out with those guys instead of the jocks.” 

The doorbell rang and Tiff eased herself back down from the vanity. “Can you let Adam in? I’m going to see if those board shorts fit.” 

I trudged down the stairs, not looking forward to small talk. Shannon’s boyfriend, who is also named Adam—talk about confusing—always calls me Kid and then pretends I don’t exist. He’s kind of an ass and I have no idea what Shannon sees in him. 

I opened the door and Adam smiled. “Hi, Maria,” he said as he came in. “Is Tiff ready yet?” I shook my head, suddenly feeling shy. “Still getting dressed? I’m not surprised.” 

We went into the living room and I was just about to go check on Tiff when he started talking. “How’s your summer been?” he asked as he sat down on the couch. I shrugged, looking at the floor. I sat down on the arm of the chair by the door, ready to bolt as soon as possible. “What are your plans for the evening?” 

I hitched one leg over the other and jiggled the bare foot. “Nothing much. I was supposed to go somewhere, but that fell through.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, eyeing me critically. He watched my foot move for a moment. I got uncomfortable and stopped it. “One of these nights, I think you should hang out with me and Tiff. You got a boyfriend? We could double date.”

I was still shaking my head when Tiffany started downstairs. I guess my hips must not be that wide because my shorts fit her perfectly. She’d changed tops, too—she was wearing a white shirt of mine. I scowled for a moment when I saw that. 

Tiff entered the room and Adam stood up. “You look great. Is that a new outfit?” She just kissed him in reply and smiled. “We’d better get going. I have my dad’s car for the night, and the only way I could get him to loan it to me is by agreeing to drop Nick off at the library on the way. He’s sitting in the car now.” 

I jumped off the chair arm as they walked by me. “Wait, you’re going to the library?” Adam looked at me, puzzled. “Can I hitch a ride with you?” 

He looked at Tiff and she shrugged. “Of course. How fast can you be ready?” 

“Is thirty seconds fast enough?” My purse and flip flops were right inside the door, and I didn’t need anything else. 

Adam’s dad’s SUV was parked at the bottom of the driveway. I practically skipped down to the car. There was a boy in the backseat behind the driver’s seat, so I headed to the other side of the car, behind the passenger’s seat. 

A couple boys rode by on skateboards. “Hey, Maria! Tiffany! How’s it going?” the shorter one called. 

Tiffany made a half-wave back. “Hey, Bill! You know my boyfriend, Adam Pike?” Adam smiled as he opened the car door for Tiff. 

Bill grinned in greeting and fell off his skateboard, landing on his butt. I snorted at him. The other boy rolled his eyes but turned back to us. “Pike? You’re Vanessa’s brother, aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just rolled off. Bill gathered himself up and popped back on his skateboard, zooming off after his friend. 

Adam watched the two of them go and then shook his head. “I wonder if that was Vanessa’s mystery man,” he pondered. Tiff gave him a look. “Never mind. You _really_ don’t want to know.” 

Adam’s brother didn’t look up when I got in the car. He was reading a novel that pointed the other way, so I couldn’t see the title, but I could tell from the back cover that it was a science fiction story. “Whatcha reading?” I asked, hoping to strike up a conversation. 

He mumbled something and pulled the book closer to his nose. Adam got into the driver’s seat. “Maria, this is my brother, Nick. Nick, this is Maria.” 

Nick pulled the book back and looked over at me. He looked a lot like Adam, but he was taller and lankier. He wore a pair of thick glasses that he peered over the top of. I could see that he had incredibly long eyelashes. He gave a brief smile before he pulled the book back to his face. And when he smiled, he was just about the cutest guy I’d ever seen. “Hi, Nick,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too eager—and probably failing epically. 

Adam suddenly turned into a dad. “Nick, a pretty girl is talking to you,” he said sternly. “The least you could do is say hi.” 

Nick blushed crimson and pulled his face even further in to the book, probably trying to hide it. I didn’t blame him; I felt my face turn red also. He whispered hello straight into the book, so quietly I barely heard him. 

Tiff mumbled something to Adam and he laughed. “So, what takes you to the library tonight?” he asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. 

I scuffed my flip flop along the floor of the car. “They’re finally having a Doctor Who marathon,” I said, more into my chest than to the front seat of the car. 

Nick finally put his book down. “You like Doctor Who?” he said clearly, looking at me sideways. He clearly didn’t believe me, but I wasn’t sure if he was making fun of me or couldn’t believe his luck. I nodded at him. 

Tiffany smiled indulgently. “Ahh, another member of the Nerd Brigade,” she said, flipping her sunglasses up to the top of her head. “You and Maria should get along just fine.” She winked at me. 

After that, Adam and Tiff seemed to forget there was anyone in the backseat. Tiff was trying to get Adam to reveal their ‘secret’ plans for the evening. Adam seemed to enjoy teasing her. After Tiff called him a nerd, Nick had picked his book back up and retreated into his own little world. I amused myself for the rest of the car ride by rating the Adams in my life. Tiff’s Adam was beating Shannon’s Adam by a whole bunch of points by the time we arrived at the library. 

Adam dropped us off in front. “We’ll be back to pick you up a little after ten. If the library closes before then, maybe you guys can get coffee or pizza or something. But we’ll pick you back up right here.” 

As he put the car back into gear, I heard Tiff yell out the passenger window, “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!” The two of them laughed as Adam drove away. 

Nick and I stood on the library’s stoop and looked at each other briefly. Nick looked lost as he clutched the book—a Star Trek novel. “What do we do now?” he asked, going back to gazing everywhere but at me. 

I sucked in a breath. Was he kidding? We were here to watch Doctor Who. “I guess we go inside and find seats. Are you meeting someone here?” He glanced at me blankly. “I mean, are you meeting some friends?” 

He shook his head and I did a little jig inside. Nick might be hard to talk to and completely clueless, but it wasn’t every day I met a guy who liked Doctor Who as much as I did. 

There were actually already quite a few people inside the library, and not all of them were teenagers. Nick and I found a couple seats right near the middle of the makeshift theater. He put his book down in his lap and took in all the sights and sounds for a moment. I decided that, even though I hate it, it was time for small talk. “Which Doctor is your favorite?” I asked. 

He looked around for a moment, like he thought I was talking to someone else. When he was sure I was looking at him, he finally answered. “Tom Baker,” he said quietly. 

“The fourth Doctor! Me, too. Did you hear that the show is coming back? I don’t know if it’s just a rumor, but…” I was off and running. Nick actually turned and followed the conversation as I babbled on and on about the alleged reincarnation of the series. I only stopped because the lights got dimmed, getting ready for the airing. 

***

The library was scheduled to close at nine, and the seventh episode ended shortly after nine. None of us had wanted to leave, but the librarian running the event ushered us all out the door, promising to hold another soon. Nick and I soon found ourselves standing out front of the library again. “What are we going to do for an hour?” I asked aloud, more to myself than to him. 

To my surprise, Nick replied. “Ice cream?” he said. 

It was a hot night, so that wasn’t a bad idea. We walked a block or so before ducking into one of those chain ice cream places. One of the employees was ringing someone up, but the other greeted us. “Hello, what can I start for you today?” After a moment, she actually looked at us and her expression changed: first she looked surprised, and then annoyed. “Nick, what are you doing here?” she asked, irritated. 

I did a double take. The girl was close to our age and she had the same chestnut brown hair Nick and his brothers did, pulled back into a ponytail. She also had…colorful…makeup and a nose ring. Nick sized her up and I realized he didn’t seem nearly as awkward with her as he did when he was talking with me. I knew she had to be a relative. “Getting some ice cream. You have a problem with that?” 

She stepped to one side and was ready to toss a choice insult at him—a sister can always tell—when I saw her name tag. “Oh, so _you’re_ Vanessa!” I cried. 

I think Vanessa had forgotten I was even there. She turned back to me, surprised. “How do you know who I am?” she asked. 

I shrank back under the glare. “Umm…Adam mentioned you earlier today.” 

She was still glaring. “And who _are_ you anyway?” she asked. 

I took a deep breath, vowing not to look as scared as I was feeling. “Maria Kilbourne.” 

“Ah, Tiff’s sister,” she smirked. “What are you doing letting my little brother corrupt you?” 

I gave her a withering look. “What are you talking about? We just spent the last three hours watching TV and now we’re thinking about sharing a banana split. Ooh, calories. Scandalous.” 

Vanessa laughed. “I like you,” she said, waving her ice cream scoop at me. She turned to her coworker. “Hey, Curtis, put my employee discount on this one. This is my kid brother.” 

I hadn’t actually planned on having a banana split or sharing anything with Nick, but Vanessa piled all the toppings ridiculously high on a banana split before she handed it to Nick. We picked up two spoons and went to pay, but Curtis stopped us. “Employee discount. It’s free.” 

Nick hadn’t said a word since he’d spoken to Vanessa. We got outside and sat side by side on—not at—one of the metal tables. “How does this work, logistically?” he asked, still holding the ice cream in his lap. 

I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I said, eyeing the mound of whip cream covering all the toppings. “I have no idea why I said we’d split something.” 

Nick chuckled. “Split something. I get it.” I groaned. I hadn’t made the pun on purpose. I was just about to say so when Nick spoke again. “I know why you said it. You wanted to stick it to Vanessa.” He took one spoon and dug it into the ice cream. “I like it.” 

For the first time since he’d smiled at me in the car, he met my eye. I grinned. “I got two big sisters,” I said, “I know exactly what to say to drive ‘em round the bend.” 

Nick handed me the second spoon. He scooted over a little and set the ice cream down between us. I took a big bite and he did the same. We were quiet for a moment. “What do you do,” I finally asked him, “you know, for fun?” 

He took the spoon out of his mouth. “I read a lot and play some video games,” he said slowly. “And on Wednesdays, I play D and D.” 

He had my attention. “You play Dungeons and Dragons?” I exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to play but never knew anyone with a game.” He raised an eyebrow. I barreled ahead, waving my spoon around as I talked. “Do you think I could come and watch one time? Or maybe even play?” 

Nick wasn’t looking at my face; he was staring at my chest. I felt myself blushing for about the hundredth time that night. He noticed and turned away. “You just spilled chocolate sauce all down your front,” he informed me.

“Oh, shit!” I furiously wiped at the sauce with my napkin but just smeared it. Nick ran inside and returned with a cup of water. I dipped the napkin in the water and managed to lighten a few parts of the stain. 

After we settled back down, Nick finally answered my question. “I don’t see any reason you can’t go to D and D with me, but I’ll have to check with the guys.” 

I grinned and dug in my purse. I pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper and wrote my name and number on it. “Here’s my cell phone number. Call me when you find out, okay?” 

Nick put the paper in his pocket and took another spoonful of ice cream. He smiled again and I just felt so hopeful. Maybe he wasn’t really ready for a girlfriend or anything, but at the very least, I’d found a friend…and a D and D game. 

All in all, it had been a great night.


	2. Tiffany

As Adam drove away from the library after dropping Nick and Maria off, he turned to me. “I hope they’re going to be okay,” he commented idly.

I gave him a look. “What do you mean? Nick wouldn’t do…anything…would he?” 

Adam chuckled. “Naw. I don’t even think Nick would know what to do with a girl if he actually got ahold of one.” I raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s not like Byron or anything. I think he’s just a little clueless.” He put on his blinker and made a right turn. “All I meant was, I tried to have a conversation with Maria and it was like pulling teeth. And trying to talk to Nick is even harder.” 

I smirked at him. “All you need to do to get Maria talking is mention something nerdy. She and Nick will be fine.” 

We made another turn and I tried desperately to figure out where we were headed. “Are you ever going to tell me where we’re going?” 

He shook his head. “You’ll find out when we get there.” I pouted a little and he grinned. “I’ll give you a hint. We’ll be putting something in little cups.” 

I tried to puzzle that out. “Oh, we’re doing shots?” I joked after failing to figure out what he really meant. He laughed. 

After a few more turns—I think he was trying to throw me off the scent—we arrived at a miniature golf course. “Mini golf?” I asked, surprised. 

Adam opened my car door for me. “Have you ever played before? I used to play all the time when I was younger. It took me years to realize how sexy the game could be.” 

“Sexy?” 

“Oh, yeah,” he said, and he looked up to the sky as if he were remembering. “Did I ever tell you about Kelsey Andrews? I taught her how to play one time in Sea City. Every hole, I helped her ‘perfect her swing.’ You can imagine how that works.” 

I could imagine it all too well. “Should I be jealous?” I teased. 

Adam took me seriously. “Considering I was twelve and I haven’t seen her since, probably not.” He grabbed me and gave me a kiss. 

I surprised to find out how much fun mini golf could be. Especially when Adam was standing behind me, leaned against me, guiding all of my motions. Adam was doing impressively well in his game, clearing all the holes in one or two shots. I was taking the full six shots at every hole—and not just because I’d never played before. 

Even though we were having a good time, by the time we got to the eleventh hole, I was beat. “Can we stop now?” I asked, leaning against his back as he wrote on the score card. 

“Stop?” Adam asked, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He glanced down at the score card. “Is this because you’re at 66 and I’m at…” he paused as he did some quick math, “seventeen?” 

I shook my head. “No, I’m just tired. And hungry.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and nestled my face right into the nape of his neck. 

He reached a hand over his shoulder and stroked my hair. “Everything okay, Babe?” he asked. 

I kissed his neck before I let him go. “Like I said, I’m just hungry.” 

He turned around. “How do you stay so skinny,” he teased, “when all you do is eat?” 

I grimaced a little. “Good metabolism? I dunno.” He ran his hands over my hips. “Anyway, I don’t eat _that_ much.” 

Adam laughed. “Yesterday, at the movies, you ate, let’s see…a big tub of popcorn. You ate the whole thing; I didn’t even have one piece. Oh, and you had the world’s biggest box of Raisinets.” He wrapped his arms around me. “And I think you ate half of my Milk Duds, too.” 

That’s not the way I remembered it. “Whatever. All I know right now is, in a fight between a golf ball and a big, juicy burger, the burger wins.” 

“I know when I’m beat. You like the burgers at the Rosebud? I normally wouldn’t suggest it because Jordan’s working tonight, but I think they have the best burgers in town.” 

***

The Rosebud is one of those places that’s always busy, but I understand why. The food is decent and reasonably priced, so it’s popular both with young people and old people. Jordan wasn’t the first person we saw when we walked in the door, but we did see him before we got seated. He practically ran by us with a whole pan full of dirty dishes, but he nodded an acknowledgment as he did. 

We were seated over by a window, next to a group of teenaged boys who were—loudly—discussing video games. Adam had his back to them, but he perked up for a moment and listened. “Do you and your brothers play video games?” I asked. 

He looked like he was thinking about that for a moment. “We used to play a lot of Mario when we were kids,” he said. “Now, Jordan and I’ll play the occasional shoot ‘em up if we have time. Nick plays a lot of RPG—role play games. I think it’s his excuse to escape from the family without leaving the house.” 

I nodded. I could certainly relate to the idea of not fitting in with your family. “I’m trying to remember what Nick was like when we used to go out before. I don’t remember him being that…quiet.” 

Adam grimaced. “He seems to get worse every year. Byron says that the kids in our family all stretch a little bit to find an identity. Sometimes he sounds like a textbook, but I think he’s right this time.” The waitress came and took our drink order and he picked right back up. “Vanessa goes through weird phases trying to stand out. She used to speak all in rhyme, and then she went through this Goth stage. I think she’s coming out of that now, so who knows what she’ll do next. Nick…well, we were pretty shitty to him when we were kids. Real asshats.” 

I cocked my head. “Really? Big brothers being jerks to a little brother? I’ve never heard of anything like _that_ before.” 

He rolled his eyes. “I know, right? For a while he just tried to be extra macho, so we would let him play with us. He and Byron got closer for a while when they started sharing a room, and when _Byron_ started getting all weird himself. I know now that he was struggling with defining himself. He couldn’t even out himself to himself, know what I mean?” I giggled a little bit despite the serious nature of the statement. Adam gave a half smile. “But then Nick started losing all his friends. Two of them moved away about three months apart—one just a couple towns over but they lost touch with each other pretty quickly—and the other to live with his dad in Texas or Arkansas or something like that.” Our drinks arrived and he took a big sip. “He used to also be pretty close with Matt, Haley’s brother. Remember, he was the one at the pizza place?” 

I know I blushed. That had not been a good night for me and Adam. It was my first time seeing Byron and Jordan in years, and I was meeting Jeff and Haley for the first time, and I’d wanted to make a good impression on all of them. Maybe Adam’s friends could be my friends too that way. But it hadn’t really worked out. I’d talked too much because I was so nervous and apparently, I’d insulted about half the table. I’d even said something about Matt, even though I didn’t know he existed. Even though Jeff and Byron and even Jordan hadn’t minded too much, Haley had gotten really worked up over an off-hand comment I’d made. How was I supposed to know she’d been raped at some point? Despite that, I really regret ever saying anything. I know that ever since then, Adam has carefully planned to make sure that we spend less time with Haley and Jordan. I know this bugs him, because he’s told me that he and Jordan used to double date all the time. 

Adam was still talking about Nick and Matt. I picked up the menu and studied it, nodding to indicate I was still listening. “But Matt goes to a special school in Stamford where all the kids are deaf. And as he got older, he started hanging out less and less with hearing kids. I guess the deaf kids just understand each other better—and I don’t just mean that Nick wasn’t completely fluent in sign.” 

Adam also picked up his menu and the two of us looked it over. “Which burger are you thinking, Babe?” I asked, looking from picture to picture. I was just about drooling. 

“For me or for you?” 

“For you. I’m going to have whatever you’re having.” I was hoping he was in the mood for a bacon cheeseburger. 

It was like he read my mind. “I was thinking about a deluxe bacon cheeseburger, but if that’s what you’re wanting, I think you should go for the supreme. It’s smaller.” 

I shook my head. “No, I’m going to have the deluxe. I’m extra hungry tonight.” As if to prove the point, my stomach rumbled. 

“Okay, then, suit yourself.” 

The waitress took our order and menus, leaving me with nothing to play with. “So you think Nick is so odd because he has no friends?” 

Adam contemplated that. “No, he does have some friends. He just chooses to mostly hang out with people who aren’t really known for their social skills. In addition to being big into games, a lot of them are stoners. One night, some of them came over and they were so high they sounded like Beavis and Butt-head.” 

I raised an eyebrow. “And you’re sure Maria will be alright with him?” 

He leaned in close. “Yeah. He’s sober tonight. After Claire told the whole party about his habit on the holiday, Mal rode his butt about it for a while. He promised that he doesn’t do it in the house or anything. I don’t know if he’s telling the truth, but he didn’t have that glazed look to his eyes today like he sometimes does.” 

We fell out of talking about his family after that for a while. Adam had given me a small indoor garden—six potted plants—and he wanted to know how my ‘babies’ were doing. I was explaining how one of the plants had had to be moved to another room where it got less sunlight when our food came. Despite how hungry I’d been when I’d ordered, I looked at the big, greasy burger and this wave of nausea swept over me. There were mushrooms on the burger—I hadn’t realized that. I couldn’t see them, but I could _smell_ them. 

Adam dove straight into his burger and didn’t notice that I wasn’t eagerly eating. I pulled the top bun off my sandwich and fished around with my fork for the mushrooms. Once they were gone, I put the burger back together and cut it apart. I picked at a few French fries before I managed to face the burger. I ate two bites and then I knew I was done. I went back to playing with my fries. 

Adam continued to chow down for a few more minutes before he slowed down. By that time, I’d shifted all the French fries from one side of my plate to the other. “What’s the rest of your family doing tonight?” I asked him, desperate for any type of non-food distraction. 

As I’ve seen him do a number of times when referring to his whole family, Adam ticked off on his fingers as he spoke. “Vanessa is working. Margo went to cheerleading camp for the week with her ‘BFF’ Karen.” He made the finger quotes dramatically and a little mockingly. “And Byron volunteered to take Claire out for the evening. Anything for brownie points with the parents, especially after what happened on the Fourth.” I nodded; I’d heard all about that. Adam had told that story almost like he didn’t believe it. “I’m pretty sure Haley went with the two of them.” 

Well. There Haley was again. I sighed and put my elbows on the table on either side of my plate. “Oh,” I said, not knowing what else to say. Adam looked up questioningly. ‘Oh’ is one of those words that can mean just about anything, depending on context and tone. I guess Adam couldn’t decode my ‘oh.’ “She spends a lot of time with Byron?” 

“Well, yeah. She _is_ his best friend. Before he started dating Jeff and she started dating Jordan—pretty much the same day—they basically spent all their time together. Before I knew he was gay, I thought he was getting really lucky, if you know what I mean.” He chuckled but stopped as he got a good look at my face. “What’s bugging you now?” 

I ran one finger around the rim of my plate. “So me not getting along with Haley means that I’m on the outs with both Jordan and Byron.” 

He looked at me like I was nuts. “Uh, no. You had a nice chat with the two of them at the party, didn’t you? They don’t hold grudges.” He paused and made a face. “Well, actually, they do. But not over this.” 

I pursed my lips. “I just wish there was something I could do,” I commented. 

“I told you before. You’re already doing it. Let Haley make the next move, and then once you’ve got her listening to you, tell her you’re sorry. Until then, you’re just going to have to wait her out.” Adam sighed. “Look, can we find something else to talk about? Anything. I don’t even care what.” 

I furrowed my brow. “I thought you’d want to try to help me on this,” I pouted. 

He looked torn a little. “I’d help you with just about anything. But I’m so sick of this conversation. I feel like we’ve had it too many times before, and you’ve heard my opinion on the matter.” He put one hand on his forehead and rubbed like he had a tension headache. “Besides, think about this for a moment. For years, Vanessa was always, ‘Haley this,’ and ‘Haley that.’ Then she became the only thing Byron ever talked about. And then Jordan. Now, every third conversation we’ve had has been about Haley.” He looked me dead on in the eye and his expression and voice softened. “I’m not blaming you, Tiff,” he said softly. “I think it’s great you want to get along with her, for my sake. You didn’t do anything so horrible that she needed to behave like she did.” He blew out another breath and said his final piece on it. “I feel like she’s ruining my life just a little bit.” 

Well. That was pretty melodramatic. Adam took my hand across the table. I didn’t say a word, just looked down at our hands. His fingers are surprisingly delicate for a guy’s, long and lean. He was rubbing his thumb over my purple-painted thumb nail over and over again. I was fighting back tears a little. I feel like that’s been happening way more over the past few months than normal. 

When I didn’t respond to that he reached across the table and stole a French fry off my plate. He took in the mostly-uneaten burger. “I thought you said you were starving.” 

I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not. “Those things are massive! I should have ordered a smaller one.” 

Adam smirked. “Told you so.” 

I shook my head. “I should just always just listen to you. You are always right.” 

He leaned back in the chair and laughed heartily. “Music to my ears.” 

***

Because we hadn’t finished our whole game of mini golf, we were done with his plans way early. The sun was just starting to set, so Adam drove the car to a park. We sat down on a swing set and watched the sun go down together, swinging higher and higher. We took turns pushing each other and then finally sat down side by side, holding hands as the sun finally dipped from sight. 

We picked Maria and Nick up in front of the library just before ten. Maria was telling a story, complete with overzealous hand gestures and what appeared to be sound effects. Nick was hanging on her every word, laughing hysterically as we pulled up. Adam looked over at me as we pulled up. “Well. Looks like we didn’t have to worry about the two of them after all,” he commented. 

The two of them looked up when Adam honked and they zoomed over to the car. Nick was still chuckling a little as he got in on the passenger’s side. Maria was holding Nick’s book and there was a large brown stain down her front. “What’s on your shirt?” I asked her. 

She looked over at Nick and he started laughing anew. “It’s blood,” she said conspiratorially, leaning forward as if she were letting me in on a secret. 

I studied the spot as she steadied herself by leaning her arm on the armrest between the two front seats. “It looks more like chocolate sauce,” I observed. 

Nick spoke out. “Blood, chocolate sauce, what’s the difference?” Maria started giggling uncontrollably, but only she and Nick understood why exactly that was funny. 

Adam rolled his eyes. “Oh, no you two don’t,” he said, “No inside jokes in the car. Do you want me and Tiffany to start whipping out our pet names for each other? No. It’s sickening. Cut it out.” 

Maria sat back in her seat and did up her seat belt. I leaned over onto the armrest she had just vacated. “What pet names?” I whispered. 

He glanced over at me briefly before he turned his eyes back to the road. “Didn’t I tell you we have pet names?” he asked in a muffled tone. 

“Nope. That’s news to me.” 

“Huh.” 

We got back to our house very quickly. Maria handed Nick back his book and said, “Remember, find out and call me!” Nick waved at her and nodded as she skipped back to the house. 

I gave Adam a quick kiss across the front seat while Nick was still watching Maria. “Call me, too,” I said, giving him a knowing look. 

Adam chuckled and shook his head. “I will. Night, Tiff.” 

I was beat. I moved up the driveway a lot more slowly than Maria had. By the time I got inside, she’d dropped her shoes and purse in their usual spot and was walking barefoot to the kitchen. When she saw me, she stopped in her tracks and turned to me. “Oh. My. God,” she said, leaning against the door frame and fanning herself with one hand. “Nick is just so cute and funny! You don’t think he has a girlfriend, do you?” She didn’t wait for an answer—I think she already knew—but went straight into babble mode. “He goes to D and D every Wednesday, you know. He’s going to ask his friends if I can come.” 

This whole ‘Nick and Maria’ thing was weirding me out. Wouldn’t it be really awkward if the two of them started dating? It’d be even more incestuous than Adam thinks Jordan and Byron’s relationships are. I was glad to see Maria so happy, but this was just plain screwy. “Be careful around him,” I warned, “Adam says he’s a loner and a pot-head.” 

Maria shrugged that off. “So what? No one’s perfect.” She turned back toward the kitchen. “I’m hungry. I think I’ll go make a grilled cheese.” 

I watched her pad her way down the hall. “Didn’t you and Nick have something to eat earlier?” 

She called over her shoulder. “Just ice cream and I need something else to go with it. Did you want one?”

My nearly empty stomach contents sloshed around and I found a funny taste in my mouth. “No thanks. I’m totally nauseous.” 

Maria had disappeared into the kitchen, but she popped her head back out of the doorway, a piece of American cheese, still in the wrapper, in her hand. “You’re _always_ nauseous,” she said, smirking. “Maybe you’re pregnant. Ha ha!” With that joke, she disappeared into the pantry to find some bread. 

She might have been kidding, but her statement made my blood curdle. I tried to remember back to health class—what little of it I’d paid attention to—when they’d talked about pregnancy. Nausea and extreme tiredness were definitely on the list of symptoms. And I had to admit that Maria’d been right when she’d said I was nauseous all the time. Maybe she was right about the other part, too. 

I shook my head. There wasn’t any way I could be pregnant, was there? Adam and I had only been together three times, and we’d used a condom all those times. 

No, wait. I’d forgotten about the Fourth. We’d been at Adam’s house that night, and I’d left my stash of condoms back at home. Adam had been sure Jordan must have some somewhere, but he’d rifled through all his drawers and hadn’t found anything. We’d decided to just go ahead anyway. After all, I’d been on the pill since I was about Maria’s age. But I remembered now reading something about how, if you didn’t take it the same time every day, it wasn’t as effective. And if we wanted to be completely honest, I was lucky if I remembered to take it at all some days. But that was less than two weeks ago. If I’d gotten pregnant then, I wouldn’t be feeling the effects from it yet…would I? 

I was even more sick to my stomach now, and for a whole different reason. I don’t even remember walking upstairs, but the next thing I knew, I was in the bathroom, the one I share with Shannon and Maria. About a year before I’d been digging through the cabinet under the sink when I’d come across a box of pregnancy tests. I remember being intrigued, knowing they must be Shannon’s. I’d never asked her about them, but a few weeks ago I’d come across them again and checked to make sure there was still only one missing. My guess is that Shannon had found herself in a similar situation to mine sometime back. Knowing that Shannon, the golden girl, the one whom my parents always held me up to when they were telling me how much I disappoint them, had stood here with that box in her hand made me feel a little bit better. 

I picked the box up and slowly read the instructions on the back twice to make sure I understood them. They were pretty straight forward. Pee on stick, wait ten minutes. How was I actually supposed to survive ten minutes waiting for the answer? 

I went to my room and started taking off my makeup slowly. I began rubbing my eye makeup and fought back tears. I started making promises. To God. To myself. I vowed that if the test came back negative, I’d try harder. At everything: school, friendships, family relationships. If the test came back negative, I’d take my pill on time every day and never go without a condom again. I’d make sure this never happens again. 

After I changed into my pajamas, I glanced at my clock. Eight minutes. Was that enough time? I went into the bathroom and glanced over at the stick. I’d left it face down. I wanted to be totally sure, so I needed to wait the full ten minutes. I picked up my toothbrush, my hands shaking, but somehow I managed to finish brushing. 

I picked up the stick and looked at it.


End file.
